If you thought copies of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finding their way to the public a week before launch was bad, then wait until you hear this one. While Kindgom Hearts III's January 25th launch is almost here, with the game having gone gold and finished development, some fans have their hands on the game already. Reportedly, more than 30 copies of the game on Xbox One have been stolen directly from a distribution center, making their way to Facebook sales pages for inflated prices. This means actual copies of the game are in the wild, and those that have their hands on the game have been uploading screenshots and videos to social media and YouTube. If you don't mind spoilers, gameplay footage is currently being posted on ResetEra.

Source

 

[Wolfy]

As if getting Smash Bros two weeks early was bad enough.

Now Kingdom Hearts 3?

SquareEnix is probably about to track the people down on Facebook and kick their doors down

 

[KyleHyde]

Guess I'll have to join my friend in avoiding spoilers then.
All I'm missing is a sleeping mask and some earplugs.

 

[Plstic]

at least we know that it's not being pushed back again.

 

[Deleted User]

Well, I guess that's one way to get people to care about the Xbox One version of KH3.

 

[kumikochan]

Hope not 2 much footage floats around. Not in the mood to see spoilers

 

[Noctosphere]

Is this leak xbo exclusive?

 

[RedoLane]

all the youtube leakers are Xehanorts.

 

[The Minish LAN]

As someone who was planning on an internet blackout starting Jan. 25th to avoid spoilers, and am now having to do it 41 days early, have to admit I'm hoping for the worst for this asshole. Never been happier about Disney and Square Enix's bloodthirst for leakers.
Guess that involves ducking off of GBATemp too. See you.

 

[DuoForce]

Can someone explain to me why they had to delay the game a whole month only for the game to leak a month prior?

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

Leakers are just self-inflating dicks to everyone, both gamers and game developers. In this case, it's straight up theft. Wouldn't mind if companies went after leakers more aggressively.

Did y'all hear about that one Microsoft engineer who devised an ingenious way of tracking leakers? He tweeted about it recently and that's how we know now. It's quite clever.

 

[osaka35]

Can someone explain to me why they had to delay the game a whole month only for the game to leak a month prior?

it was stolen from a distribution place. it takes a while to coordinate everyone getting their shipment at nearly the same time with none getting there late. big distribution to smaller to local. it takes a while. and they put in a lot of padding in case something bad happens. it was probably stolen at one of the larger distribution places

 

[EmulateLife]

Can someone explain to me why they had to delay the game a whole month only for the game to leak a month prior?

They wanted the leakers to have it for Christmas?

 

[FAST6191]

Can someone explain to me why they had to delay the game a whole month only for the game to leak a month prior?

Companies have all sorts of theories on when to and not to release something to maximise sales. Don't open against strong competition being one, December being another seeming dead zone (November on the other hand...), recall a few years ago some people raising an eyebrow when MS released Halo on an election day ( https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-04-17-halo-4-to-see-worldwide-launch-on-november-6 ) and you study marketing on your own time.
I don't know the full rationale here but early year seems to have risen in popularity (all that Christmas money and those gift tokens, occasionally not much in the way of competition?) for a little while now, more as a US thing (quite a few gameboy advance games hit in Europe before Christmas but in the US afterwards, Zelda Minish Cap being one of the more notable. By the time of the 360 it was almost a defined period of the year up there with the summer drought.). Originally it had a bit of a more experimental air to it all, either from big devs releasing more artsy games that might not compete directly with COD and guitar hero or smaller devs trying to punch up (or smaller translators bringing their more niche titles out), but nowadays that is long gone.

Anyway I am curious about people being upset about the leaks like this. For something story driven like Kingdom Hearts it makes a bit more sense than Smash Brothers but it seems we surpassed the already spoiler averse thing and went one more. Similarly back when I were a lad (or indeed during the 360 era) leaks were welcomed and only the raging fanboys car.... oh yeah Kingdom Hearts.

 

[Mythical]

Was leaked to non private circles 13 days before official release not a week
edit: (smash ultimate)

 

[Xandrid]

Geez, really? Never thought KH fans would ever go this low

 

[Noctosphere]

Is there a way to play xbo backup?
Cfw?
Emulator?
Modchip to read burned disc?
Anything?

 

[placebooooo]

Nope never was exclusive.

I hope this can be played as a backup with the new method coming to PS4

New backup method for ps4? I’m assuming not for 6.x firmware?

 

[Xandrid]

It's actually kinda funny if you think that we've waited years for this game, now that it's done, people are clearly going insane for the game that their stealing it from factories...... that's actually not funny

 

[Deleted User]

Is there a way to play xbo backup?
Cfw?
Emulator?
Modchip to read burned disc?
Anything?

There is none.
Resident Evil 2 remake is next.

 

[osaka35]

New backup method for ps4? I’m assuming not for 6.x firmware?

it's more playing games requiring the 6.x on lower firmware, but it's already patched or wil be soon? not something that'll give us higher permissions, so we need to stay on currently exploitable firmware, but i think it'll allow us to load some newer games on older firmware eventually. that's the rumour anyway.